By My Side
by minato4th
Summary: Naruto and Sakura are given a mission to bring a baby back to its parents but on their way there, something disastrous happens. How will Naruto and Sakura manage? Read to Find Out!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

* * *

Naruto was heating up the kettle for his ramen, something that he does everyday. It was mid-December, the fourth great shinobi war had ended around October, and Naruto was officially seventeen years old. He yawned and scratched the back of his head and trudged himself to the stove, turning it off.

He put the water in the cup, and waited for 3 minutes. He started to think about his dad, who he had just recently met, during the war. Naruto smiled to himself and took the chopsticks and was about to eat when-

"NARUTO!" Sakura had crept behind him and due to the shock, caused the ramen to fall to the floor. "Sakura-chan! You owe me a ramen cup dattebayo!" Naruto said as he went to get his mop. Sakura just crossed her arms and said "I did you a favour. You can't eat that stuff... EVERY FRIGGIN DAY."

Naruto glanced at her and then said "So what brings you here? Oh! Is it a date!?" Naruto asked excitedly. Sakura facepalmed herself. "No dumbass, we have to go meet Lady Tsunade. So go shower or something, I'll clean this up." she then took the mop from Naruto and pushed him towards his bedroom.

Naruto quickly got ready within 10 minutes and saw a plate of 2 omelettes ready to be eaten at his table. He scratched the back of his head, "Ne, Sakura-chan, did you make all this?" he asked as he sat down to eat. She sat down next to him with a plate of her own and said, "Yes, only because I felt bad for ruining your breakfast."

Naruto smiled and thanked her and then both of them began to eat.

* * *

"Sakura-chan, do you have any idea why baa-chan called us?" Naruto asked as they were walking towards the Hokage's mansion. Sakura looked at him and then said, "You know Naruto, I actually don't know. Maybe it's a mission..." They then walked up the staircase and heard a lady yelling, "SHIZUNE! Get this creep AWAY FROM ME!" Sakura and Naruto looked at each other.

"TSUNADE-SAMA its just a BABY!" yelled another voice. Sakura and Naruto entered the room only to see Tsunade and Shizune's bangs being pulled b a giggling baby in the middle, sitting happily on the desk. Sakura ran over and rescued the 2 women only to get her bangs yanked as well. "Tsunade-sama who's kid IS THIS?" yelled Sakura as she tried to untangle the baby's fingers from her hair.

Tsunade then spoke up "Well see, that's what you're next mission is about. One of our jounin found this child near the outskirts of our village. We had been taking care of this baby and just found out that the parents live in the Eastern Land Of Lightning but due to the war, have been badly injured. Since none of their ninja are able to make it here to receive the child, it's your duty to bring this baby, back to the parents."

"Oh,come on that's too easy -ttebayo!" Naruto said. He walked towards Sakura and looked at the baby. It had soft, spiky blonde hair but dark green eyes. It was absolutely adorable. "Hey, Naruto it looks like you.." Sakura pointed out. Naruto blushed, "No way! I'm to young to be a father -ttebayo!" he exclaimed. Sakura laughed "I'm just, messing with ya, anyways it's a girl right?" Sakura asked. Tsunade nodded. "According to our intel, her name is Nana." Shizune added.

"Nana huh, that's a nice name." Naruto said as he ruffled the baby's hair. The baby looked at Naruto with wide eyes and gave a big one-toothed grin. Sakura smiled, "I think she likes on, hold her." Sakura said as she handed the baby to the elder blonde. " I haven't held a baby before Sakura -chan, I don't think it's a good idea -ttebayo." he said.

"Its simple just keep your arm here and hold her close to your chest." Sakura instructed. He held the baby just as she said to, and the baby soon yawned, rested her head on his shoulder and fell asleep. He looked at the little one and smiled. Sakura turned over to Tsunade and then inquired, "Tsunade- sama,how did Nana end up here?"

"The answer to that is unknown I'm afraid. It will take about two weeks to get there though. And you'll have to travel by ship. You leave tomorrow, first thing in the morning." Tsunade said. "Wait, what do we do with Nana now?" Naruto asked. Tsunade gave them both an evil grin. "That's your problem. For the next two weeks, you both are officially the parents of this child."

Sakura's mouth fell wide open. Naruto then said "Tsunade baa-chan, you can't be serious! I'm a father now?". Shizune answered "Its only for two weeks, Naruto. You are seventeen, I think you can handle it. Now please, we have lots of work to do." Tsunade then gave them money for necessary expenses and then dismissed the both of them. Naruto walked down the stairs and then said, "Well, Sakura-chan let's take turns. You take care of the baby now and I'll-". Sakura then looked at him and said "No you're not, we BOTH have been assigned to be the parents of this child for the following two weeks and I want YOU to play the role of the responsible father. PROPERLY."

Naruto sighed and then looked at the sleeping baby once more. "Alright, what's first?" he asked. Sakura then pointed to a baby supply store. Naruto sighed again and forced himself to follow Sakura. At the Store they bought enough supplies to last them for about half a month. Sakura made Naruto carry all their bags while she carried Nana, and they both walked down the street.

On their way, they passed by Ichihiraku's around lunchtime and eventually Naruto ended up dragging Sakura and Nana as well. He plopped himself down on one of the stools. "Old Man! 2 bowls of Miso Ramen with pork dattebayo!"he yelled. Sakura sat down with Nana in her lap and said "Naruto, don't yell in public! Plus, I don't think that ramen is good for Nana." Naruto looked at the baby and ruffled her soft spiky hair. "Sakura-chan, it won't be a problem. Any kid of mine is bound to like ramen.." _She isn't your kid ya know..._Sakura thought to herself.

Ayame suddenly jumped up. "NARUTO, YOU HAVE A CHILD?!" Naruto blushed and then said, "I guess you could say so...well, I have to take care of her for the next two weeks so until then yes, I am her _dad_" he said. "Oh... who is the mom?" Ayame asked curiously. "That would be me." Sakura said as she lifted Nana and put her on the counter.

Teuchi then turned around with 2 bowls in his hands and handed them over to Naruto and Sakura. "Believe me, taking care of a baby is not easy. Ayame was quite the troublemaker when she was an infant." Teuchi said. Ayame crossed her arms, "Tou-chan!". Teuchi laughed. "I'm just kidding, anyways best of luck for the both of you." he said. "Arigato." said Sakura. "Itadakimasu!" Naruto yelled as he began to eat. Sakura then took out a small container of mashed carrots and started to feed Nana.

Nana refused to eat the carrots. After about 10 minutes, she sighed and closed the container and began to eat her ramen. "I give up." she said. Naruto, who was now finishing his third bowl, looked at Nana and then took a bit of noodles in his chopsticks and fed Nana the ramen. Nana instantly slurped up the noodles and opened her mouth again, indicating that she wanted more. He smiled and put her on his lap, and fed her the noodles.

Sakura who had just finished her first bowl looked at Nana. She actually liked it! Naruto looked at Sakura and then said "See, told ya she'll like it! Nothing can beat RAMEN!" Then Nana yelled "AAMEN!" earning a good laugh from everyone at the stall. Sakura then looked at Naruto. "Who'd have thought that Nana's first word would be Ramen?"

* * *

Sakura and Naruto finished their lunch and was on their way Naruto's house to drop off the supplies they had bought. Just then Team Kurenai passed by and they happened to see Naruto and Sakura with Nana. Kiba's eyes widened when he saw Sakura with a baby that sort of looked like Naruto. "Naruto, Sakura, you have a CHILD?!" he shouted. "Na-na-naruto Ku-kun had a b-baby wi-with Sak-sakura-san?" Hinata stammered. She then fainted on spot. Akamaru went closer to her and then whimpered. Shino just sighed and picked up the unconscious kunoichi.

Naruto and Sakura were blushing madly. Naruto just scratched the back of his head."Ahh... you've got it all wrong -ttebayo. This is Nana. We were told to look after her for the next 2 weeks." Naruto explained. "Her parents are in The Land Of Lightning, and we have to take her there" Sakura added. Kiba patted Akamaru's head. "I see. Well these next 2 weeks aren't going to be easy for you, huh?" he asked. Naruto chuckled and shook his head "Ja ne, we really have to get going. See you later!" Sakura said as she and Naruto waved goodbye, and then walked down the street.

* * *

"So Naruto, have we packed everything?" Sakura asked as she closed their last suitcase. Naruto, with Nana in his arms, repiled "Yeah that's about it, I think we are all good to go Sakura-chan." Sakura smiled and then went to use the restroom. Suddenly Naruto heard someone knocking at the door. He descended down the steps with Nana in his arms and opened the door only to see a desperate blond waiting outside.

"Hey Ino. What's up?" he greeted. Ino gasped and put a hand over her mouth. " Aww! How sweet! What a cutie! Naruto you had a child? She looks just like you! Who's the mommy?" she asked in an excited tone. She pulled Nana's chubby cheeks and ruffled her hair. Naruto then smiled."She is not mine, I just have to take care of her for the next 2 weeks." he said. "Whew, for a second I actually thought you had a daughter. Anyways, what's her name?" she asked curiously.

Naruto handed over the child to Ino. "Nana." he said. Nana looked up at Ino and started to cry. She then held out her hands out towards Naruto. He laughed and said "Oh, I guess she isn't used to not being without me or Sakura." Ino handed the child over to Naruto and the child immediately stopped crying. Ino chuckled. "So where is Sakura? I wanted to talk to her." she stated.

"About what?" Sakura asked as she tied her hair in a pony. She then walked towards them and Ino replied "Sakura, could you do me a favour? My dad is sick at home so my mom can't watch over the store. I have a shift at the hospital today but I can't close the store. Could you do my shift at the hospital? I'ts the peak season and we usually get a lot of people hunting for flowers at this time." Sakura smlied and answered, "Sure, I will. That's what friends are for."

Ino hugged Sakura. "Arigato! Hey, maybe later we can meet up for dinner! My treat!" she said. Sakura then looked at Nana and ruffled her hair. "Geez, I would love to join you for dinner but I need to be here for Nana." Sakura said. Naruto looked at her and said "It's okay Sakura-chan, I'm there right? I'll feed her dinner and will take care of her. You go on with Ino."

Sakura smiled at him."Thanks Naruto!". She then ran upstairs to get ready. After about ten minutes, Ino and Sakura left his home, leaving Naruto alone with Nana. He put the baby on the floor and lied down on his belly. "So I guess it's only you and me Nana." he said to the baby. "AAMEN" Nana said. Naruto chuckled, "No, no more ramen for you little girl."He said.

"P- p papa!" Nana yelled. Naruto was surprised. Had he just heard her say papa? "Nana, did you just say_ papa_?" he asked slowly. "Papa!Papa!Papa!" Nana yelled. Naruto then picked up the little infant and hugged her tightly. He had never known what parental love was before he met his parents. Now an infant calling him papa made him feel really happy. He kissed her forehead and said "That's right Nana, papa is here."

Naruto changed into shorts but didn't bother putting on a shirt. He then changed Nana's clothes as well and for the next few hours, Naruto taught Nana a few words like ball,cat, food, baby and _mama._ By that time it was around 8:30 and Nana was starting to get hungry. "ood, ood" Nana chanted. Naruto chuckled and picked up the baby girl and put her on his table.

After a whole one hour, Naruto was finally able to feed Nana mashed peas. He took out a loaf of bread and began making a sandwich and then noticed that Nana fell asleep on his shoulder. He put her to sleep on his bed and came back to the dining room and continued making his sandwich. He had just finished eating when suddenly Nana started crying. He sighed and picked up the little girl and found out that her diaper was dirty.

After 5 minutes of pure torture, Naruto was able to change her diaper and put her on the bed again for her to sleep. He left the room and the second he did, she started crying again."What is it now Nana?" Naruto then sighed again and went to the couch with Nana in his arms. He stroked her head "What's the matter baby?" he asked. She just yawned and sucked her thumb and fell asleep on his shoulder.

Naruto finally understood why she was crying. It was because she didn't want to be away from Naruto, and wanted him to sleep with her. He looked at the infant, who was now peacefully sleeping with her thumb in her mouth. He once again, thought of his parents. He just wished that they were there with him, so they could see how well he was taking care of Nana. Naruto smiled again, and soon was drifting off to sleep.

At around 10:00, Sakura came inside the house and couldn't help but"awww" at the sight of Naruto and Nana. He was lying on the sofa, Nana resting on his bare chest, with her thumb in her mouth, and Naruto's arm covering her. It seemed that even as he slept, Naruto had an aura that protected Nana. Sakura smiled and decided to let Nana sleep with Naruto for the night, and left for her house.

* * *

**Note From The Author: **Well that's all for now, I hope you like the first chapter! And as from where I got the name "Nana", well my favorite japanese singer is Nana Mizuki who is also the voice actress for Hinata. Hope that clears doubts.

I will do my best and update ASAP, but try not to keep your hopes too high! I have also written another story, **Love That Lasts A Lifetime**. Please check that out! Reviews are much appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura met at the port, ready to set sail. They were travelling with a crew of ten members. Naruto held Nana and said "Yosh, I think we are all good to go. Sakura-chan, you ready?" Sakura then nodded."Hai, I think we are done loading everything on the ship. Let's board." and then they both climbed on top of the ship.

The rest of Konoha 11 were at the port too, to send them off. Naruto and Sakura smiled and waved everyone goodbye."We will back before you know it dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed. Slowly, the ship left the port, and the journey had begun.

* * *

The trip had been smooth the first couple of hours, but suddenly, it started raining, and the waves were getting pretty rough, Naruto and Sakura were in their cabin, along with Nana, who was sleeping on the bed . Sakura had a map in her hand and was tracing out their route."Ne, Sakura-chan, the storm is very violent, huh?"Sakura nodded. "I just hope we get through this safe, I mean it is pretty dangerous."

Suddenly there was a huge crash and water came gushing through the windows and started seeping through the ceiling. "Shit! The ship is sinking!"Sakura yelled. Naruto made a hand sign "Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"he yelled. He summoned about ten clones. "Clones! Go and help the crew men dattebayo!"he ordered. The clones nodded and ran to help the sailors. Naruto then got Nana and turned to Sakura "How are we gonna get out of this ?". Sakura then put her hand on her head. Then an idea occured to her.

"Naruto! Use your kuchiyose! I beat chief toad will help us!" she yelled. Naruto then nodded"Okay!Here, hold Nana, I need to summon him outside." They then ran up to the deck. By this time Nana had woken up and started crying, because she was frightened by the thunder and the loud noises. Sakura held her close to her chest, and tried her best to protect Nana from the cold. Suddenly, lightning stuck the mast, causing it to break into two. "LOOK OUT EVERYONE!" Naruto and Sakura yelled at the sailors.

But unfortunately, it was too late, the mast had fallen down and crushed all the sailors. Blood gushed out everywhere. The force of the mast falling down even caused the entire wooden ship to break into two. Sakura put her hand over her mouth and gasped. Tears came out of her eyes with full force. Naruto then went to a safe place and bit his thumb."Kuchiyose no jutsu!" yelled Naruto.

Suddenly there was a big cloud of smoke. Gamabunta had appeared. "WHOA KID, WHY DID YOU SUMMON ME IN A WAVE-POOL?" he asked. Naruto carried Nana and Sakura and put them on the huge toad's head. "Chief toad, please help us get out of this dattebayo! Take us to a nearby island or something!" Naruto yelled. Gamabunta just shrugged, "ALRIGHTY, HOLD ON TIGHT!" he said. Naruto held on to Sakura and Nana as tight as he could, and Gamabunta started jumping on the ocean as though it were a puddle. Well he is a ninja toad, after all.

"HEY KID, THE WATER ISN'T THAT MEANS THERE IS LAND NEAR HERE SOMEWHERE." Gamabunta explained. "Yosh! Take us there chief toad!" yelled Naruto. Sakura who was still in tears, held on to Naruto tighter, Naruto looked at her, "Don't you worry Sakura-chan. We are gonna be safe. I will protect the both of you.." he said softly. Gamabunta jumped for about 5 minutes and then they spotted land in the clearing.

"LAND HO!" Gamabunta yelled. Naruto and Sakura both smiled. Once Gamabunta reached land, Naruto undid the summoning and looked for a place to dry off. It was night, and was pretty cold and it was still raining heavily. "Naruto, I think I see a cave over there.." Sakura pointed out in the distance. The team ran inside and sat down. Naruto finally sighed in relief, they had somehow escaped from the dangerous situation.

Sakura handed Nana to Naruto, and got rocks and sticks to start a fire. Naruto looked at the little infant, the one he now considered as his daughter, and held her close. He gave her a small kiss to her cheek and hugged her. "Papa" Nana said. Naruto and Sakura smiled."Yes, Papa is here my angel.." he replied. "When did she learn to say that?" Sakura asked. Naruto laughed,"I taught her a thing or two yesterday while you were at dinner...Listen Nana, can you say _mama_?" Naruto asked the little girl.

Nana then pointed at Sakura and yelled "Mama!". Sakura smiled and ruffled her blonde hair. "Nana is going to get a cold unless we dry her hair." Sakura explained. Naruto sat a little closer to the fire, so that her hair would dry a little. Nana looked at Sakura, "Mama! ood!ood!" Nana chanted. Sakura sighed and went closer to Naruto and took Nana from him."Nana, we don't have any food right now.I'm sorry baby..."she said in a sad tone.

Naruto then got up and stretched."Ja, Sakura-chan I'm gonna go get something to eat.. looks like the rain has stopped dattebayo. Oh, no actually it's just drizzling now." Naruto said. Sakura looked at him,"Are you gonna go by yourself? You must already be tired... let me go."she offered. Naruto kneeled down and then ruffled Nana's hair. He looked at Sakura's eyes. They were completely filled with fear. He smiled "It's okay Sakura-chan, just please take care of Nana and keep yourselves safe. Okay? I'll be right back." Naruto assured her. Sakura nodded and gave Naruto a hug.

Naruto was shocked by this action, but then just smiled and hugged her back. He removed his wet shirt, and set it out for drying near the fire. He then got up and ran out of the cave. Sakura held Nana close to herself and waited patiently for Naruto to return.

* * *

Naruto walked around, looking for something to eat. He then made a hand sign"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" he yelled. Immediately ten cloness were next to him and they all started shivering. "Teme, why did you call us when it's freezing out here -ttebayo!" questioned one clone. All the others nodded in agreement. Naruto just ignored the comment and ordered. "Listen, I need you to go around the island, get some food,Nana and Sakura-chan are really hungry, dattebayo! Now leave!"And so, all the clones left on his command.

The Real Naruto looked around, and saw something floating in the ocean. He ran towards the beach and on closer inspection, found out that they were boxes from the ship. He then smiled and ran towards them. He summoned 3 clones and then ran into the ocean. There were about 5 boxes floating about a hundred metres away from the shore.

He swam with all his might, and finally got all the crates. Fortunately, one of the boxes was filled with food. The others was filled with Nana's baby supplies,clothes and weapons. He then dragged them onto the beach and lied down on the sand. He was panting, and was really tired. He had already spent a lot of chakra and didn't eat anything.

After about five minutes, one of the other clones saw the Real Naruto really tired,and carried him all the way back to the cave, while the others carried the crates. Sakura, who was holding a crying Nana, gasped as she saw Naruto being carried. "He was really tired so I carried him here dattebayo." the clone explained. Sakura smiled and went towards Naruto, and all the clones disappeared.

"Naruto, wake up... it's not good to sleep on an empty stomach.." she said as she stroked his blond hair. Nana, who was sittting on Sakura's lap, went towards Naruto and planted one chubby hand on his whiskered cheek. "Papa!Papa!" she chanted. Then slowly, Naruto began to open his eyes, and smiled at Nana. He took her chubby little hand and kissed it.

"Hey baby, Papa's brought food for ya.." he said in a barely audible voice. She then looked at Sakura, "Mama! ood!ood!" she yelled, clapping her hands. Sakura then got up and searched for the crate that was labeled "food". Naruto then sat up straight and Nana climbed on his lap. In the crates, there were biscuits and bottles of water. Sakura handed a packet to Naruto. He tore it open and gave a biscuit to Nana, who started munching right away.

After the three ate, Sakura took out a towel from a crate and started drying Nana's hair, and then she dried her own. After that, she handed it to Naruto and he did the same. Nana yawned and put her head on Sakura's tummy. Sakura smiled and and stroked her soft hair... She thought of her friends back home...she wondered what they were doing,if they were safe and what her parents were upto as , without even her knowing it, she let a few tears fall.

Nana felt the drops falling on her head. "Mama?" she questioned silently. No response. Naruto looked at Sakura and walked towards her, "Sakura-chan?" he asked. She still didn't reply. She just let silent tears fall. "Sakura-chan." he said more sternly, as he pulled her chin so that she would face him. Naruto looked at her eyes. "I'm scared Naruto!" she said as she let even more tears fall.

"Sakura-chan, I promise you, we will get out of this dattebayo." he said softly. "Naruto! we are stranded on an ISLAND in the middle of nowhere. Our all our crew members have friggin DIED! Do you not realise WHAT the HELL is going on!" she yelled at him. Naruto smiled and hugged her tightly."Sakura-chan, I promise you, that I will always protect you and Nana, no matter, what... we are gonna get out of this together." he said.

Then her crying reduced to sniffles. Naruto smiled, and picked up Nana. "Now, we are the only parents that Nana's got, so we have to be strong. You gotta be strong for her, you got that?" he asked. Sakura then nodded and wiped the tears off her face. "Thanks Naruto, I feel really better now.. I'm gonna sleep, okay?" she said as she went to the side of the cave and lied down on the towel.

Naruto smiled and put Nana next to Sakura and went near the mouth of the cave and looked at the stars._ Dad, Mom times are pretty tough right now... but I know that I will make it...I will protect Sakura-chan and Nana with my life...Just like how you guys did with me._ he thought to himself. He then chuckled,_ Just watch over me, okay?_

"Papa?" Nana turned around looking for Naruto and then started crying. Naruto chuckled and went over to the little child. "Shh,.. Papa's right here little girl! Now please stop crying, or you'll wake up mama." he said softly. She then stopped crying and held her arms out for him to carry her. He carried her and lied down sideways, putting Nana in between himself and Sakura.

He then lessened the gap between themselves and put his arm over her, to protect her from the cold. "Good Night Baby.." he said. "Papa!" she replied. Naruto chuckled and suddenly felt a strong arm around him. He then opened his eyes to see Sakura facing him, her putting one arm around himself, and another around Nana. He smiled and put an arm around her, and brought Sakura closer to him.

He had 2 important people to protect.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

* * *

Naruto woke up as the sun's rays shined on his face. He got up and yawned, and saw Nana still peacefully sleeping on the towel. He smiled and then went out to look for Sakura. Just then, the pinkette came with a bunch of firewood. She was wearing shorts that stopped at her thighs and a tank top that stopped just above her belly, with her hair tied up in a high ponytail.

"Oh, your'e up. Ohayo, Naruto!" she said with a smile. Naruto smiled back at her and scratched the back of his head." Ohayo, Sakura-chan. Ne, you need any help with that?" he asked as he pointed to the firewood. Sakura nodded. "Hai. Take this and look over Nana, I am gonna be gone for a while... Oh, and when she wakes up feed her the leftover biscuits from the crate okay? Ja ne!" she said as she unloaded the wood and ran outside.

Naruto just shrugged and did as he was told. He then started munching some biscuits when suddenly Nana woke up. "Papa..."she said in a very soft tone. Naruto smiled and said "Nana! Papa is over here!" Nana grinned and crawled towards her "papa" and sat on his lap. She then pointed to the biscuit packet in his hand. "Papa! ood! ood!" she yelled.

Naruto smiled and gave her the biscuits. He then carried Nana and looked outside. It was a beautiful, bright sunny day. The whole island looked completely different during the day, it actually looked like a wonderful resort island. He smiled and looked at the golden sand. He decided to take Nana to the beach.

* * *

"TSUNADE- SAMA!" yelled Shizune as she barged into the Hokage's office. "Geez, Shizune you are gonna give me a heart attack one of these days!" Tsunade complained. "It's about Naruto and Sakura! Their ship was destroyed in a thunderstorm yesterday!" she said in a worried tone. Tsunade's eyes widened. She then got up and turned around and looked at her village through the huge window.

"Send Team Asuma and Team Kurenai to go look for them. Also, ask Kakashi to tag along with them as well. Summon them here immediately." Tsunade ordered. Shizune just looked at her and then spoke up, "I am really worried, do you think they are alright?". Tsunade then chuckled, "I may not be good at gambling, but I bet you that they are gonna be just fine. I mean, come on, we are talking about Naruto and Sakura! I am sure they will keep Nana and the sailors safe." Tsunade assured.

* * *

Naruto walked over to the beach, and placed Nana on the warm sand. Nana smiled at Naruto and started crawling across the beach. Naruto sat down and looked up at the clouds. He then turned around wondering where exactly Sakura had wandered off to. Then he heard the little girl screaming. "Nana!"he yelled as he turned his head, only to see Nana crawling at a fast pace towards him, with 3 tiny baby sea turtles chasing her. Tears were streaming down her cheeks at a great speed.

"Papa!" Nana yelled as she crawled into his lap. Naruto smiled and picked up the child and hugged her. "Nana, they aren't going to hurt you, dattebayo." he said while removing all the sand that had stuck onto his chest and Nana's clothes. The 3 baby turtles came closer to Naruto and he put a finger on one of their shells and pet it. Nana then stopped her crying and giggled.

Naruto got up, deciding that it was enough "adventure time" for Nana and walked back to the cave. There he saw huge bears, destroying the crates. Nana held on to Naruto as tight as she could. The bear growled and Naruto made a handsign, "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" he yelled as he summoned 2 clones. He handed over Nana to one of the clones and ordered it to keep her safe, and then looked at the bears.

One charged at him but was easily able to dodge it. He formed a rasengan and charged at the bear but the other one slashed at his abdomen. Naruto then screamed in pain. The clone was able to get rid of one bear but the other one caused him to dispel. Naruto gritted his teeth, put a hand over his wound and formed another rasengan, and was finally able to drive away the other bear.

Naruto was panting and blood was oozing out, but he had to make sure Nana was safe first. He tried to walk outside to go find the other clone but then felt weak in the knees, and fell down and fainted.

* * *

Team Kurenai and Team Asuma were assembled at the port, waiting for the sailors to finish loading the ship...and of course, waiting for KAKASHI SENSEI to arrive. Shino then said, "His own two students are in trouble, and yet he still makes it late?" Shikamaru sighed and then said "This is way too troublesome.." Hinata looked at Shikamaru. "Naruto-kun and Sakura-san. I hope they kept the b-baby safe." Ino nodded. "What do you think they have to eat?" Choji asked. Kiba shrugged, "I dunno. But I am sure that this mission is gonna be a pain in the ass." he stated as he patted Akamaru's head.

Pretty soon Kakashi sensei arrived, and then they all embarked on their journey. Hinata looked at the sunset and kept her hands together and then closed her eyes. She prayed that Naruto, Sakura and the baby were safe. And that they would be able to rescue them. She continued to pray for a while, little did she know that everyone with her was doing the same.

* * *

Naruto woke up with burning sensation in the area where the wound was. Sakura had applied a green coloured paste on his wound. He looked around and saw her boiling something in a big hemispherical stone. It looked like a bowl she had made herself. She was holding a sleeping Nana in one arm and was stirring the mixture with the other.

Naruto grunted as he tried to sit up. She turned around and ran towards him. "Naruto!" she yelled as she pulled him in for a hug. Naruto put his hand on her head, and smiled. Nana woke up and hugged Naruto as well. "I was so worried about you! You don't know how it feels to see you hurt like that!" she said as she sobbed. "Sakura-chan, it's okay, I am alright." he lifted his arm up and wiped away her tears.

He brought her and Nana closer to his chest. "As long as I am here, I will make sure nothing happens to you or Nana. That's a promise dattebayo." he assured. Sakura stopped her crying and playfully smacked his head. "Dumbass, how the hell did you get hurt like that?" she said as she applied more paste on his wound. Naruto winced at the burning sensation. "I just went to the beach with Nana and when I got back there were huge bears, messing up the entire place dattebayo." "That explains the broken crates... then what happened?" she asked as she started looking for a cloth to tie up the wound to completely stop the bleeding.

"Well, I sent a clone to keep Nana safe and drove away the bears, and then... got slashed." he said as he scratched the back of is head. Sakura dipped the cloth into the boiling mixture and then squeezed all the excess liquid. "Okay Naruto, this is gonna hurt, but its gonna help you tons. Please bear it." Naruto nodded and then Sakura placed the cloth on the wound.

Naruto screamed in pain. He would rather fight an army of a 100 ninjas than to go through this pain. Sakura tied it tightly around his waist and then held his hand in hers. She softly ruffled his spiky blonde hair. "That's my Naruto. You always heal quickly." she said smiling. Naruto smiled back at her and then asked her, " Ne, Sakura-chan where were you in the morning?" Sakura then smiled. "I had gone out to get medicinal herbs in case of an emergency, and I'm pretty glad that I did. Otherwise that scar of yours would have taken forever to heal." she explained.

Naruto smiled again."But what about your medical ninjutsu?" he inquired. Sakura sighed and then told him "I don't have enough chakra to do that. I need lots of rest and proper food to recover chakra. Considering that I now only get 3 hours of sleep a day and only eat biscuits, I can't recover much." Naruto turned around and looked at Nana, who was peacefully sleeping right next to him.

"Sakura-chan, the bears destroyed whatever we had left. Now we don't have any biscuits or water." he complained. Sakura looked at him and said, "I also collected some edible berries and nuts while I was away. You can eat that, but I only have enough to last us a day." she explained as she brought the food. Naruto sat up and the both of them began to eat.

After they ate the berries, Naruto got up to answer nature's call. "I'll be back in a few minutes, Sakura-chan" Naruto said, as he got out of the cave. Sakura nodded and gave some berries to Nana. Naruto went out, and after a few minutes when he was near the entrance of the cave, he heard a sweet lady's voice. He went in and saw Sakura singing a Japanese lullaby, as she gently rocked Nana to sleep.

Naruto smiled at the scene, but it also pained him that his own parents weren't there when he was a child. He didn't even know their identities until the previous year. Naruto's eyes watered and he turned around, and sat near the mouth of the cave and looked up at the stars. A few minutes later, Sakura joined him and looked up at the sky as well.

"That was a great song Sakura-chan, you have a beautiful voice dattebayo." Naruto said. Sakura smiled, "Kaa-san used to sing that to me when I was little. She said that I always fell asleep when I heard the song." she answered. Naruto gave a weary smile. Sakura looked at Naruto and then asked, "Naruto, what about your mom?"

Naruto's eyes widened, and he smiled again,"Kaa-chan, was great. She was an Uzumaki, and was really strong, I met her when I was learning to control Kurama." he answered. Sakura smiled. "Then?" Naruto chuckled, "Then she told me how her academy life was, how she and tou-chan fell in love, and also told me what had happened on the day of the Nine-Tails attack, seventeen years ago."

Sakura gasped. "It happened the day I was born, kaa-chan was the previous jinchuriki, and Obito, snuck inside the village and extracted Kurama from her." Sakura was speechless. "Tou-chan wanted to get me to a safe place, and made it back to Kaa-chan just after the extraction. We Uzumaki are really strong, so she survived the extraction."

Sakura remebered during the war, when Naruto had the kyuubi taken away from him, he was on the verge of death, but didn't die immediately. "Tou-chan is not an Uzumaki, so I guess that's why I barely made it through the extraction during the war. I'm just half-Uzumaki. Anyway, tou-chan got rid of Obito and had to deal with the Nine-Tails, which had caused lots of destruction to the village. Then, he had no other option but to seal it in his own son, Naruto Uzumaki."

Sakura looked at Naruto who was deep in thought. "Kaa-chan didn't like the idea, as she didn't want me to suffer the way she did. She wanted to seal it back in herself, ending her life, so that tou-chan would live, and could look after me as I grew up. But then the Nine-tails would re-emerge after three years, and would cause destruction all over again. And if it were sealed back in her, I wouldn't have even gotten the chance to meet her."

Sakura let a few tears fall, Naruto's story was just getting too much for her to handle. Naruto then continued, "Tou-chan told her that it wasn't a good plan, he told her that there were a few things that only a mother could tell her child, things that he couldn't. Also, he believed that Obito would attack again, in the future. He sealed the Nine-tails in me, so that I could stop him. That was the only thing he could bequeath to me. When I had met him during Pain's attack, he told me that he believed in me, and that's why he entrusted me with Kurama's power."

"Kaa-chan didn't want me to be an orphan but tou-chan said that he would gladly die for his son, and that it was his duty as a father. He just prepared the sealing altar, and just when he was about to start, the Nine-Tails understood tou-chan's intentions, and got loose from Kaa-chan's chakra chains and tried to stab me with his giant claw, then they shielded me, and let the claw pierce through their bodies. But, before they died, Kaa-chan told me how much she and tou-chan loved me, and that she wished that they could see me grow up." Naruto said as he let a few tears fall. "Those were their last words.."

* * *

***FLASHBACK***

The Shinobi Alliance won the war, Madara was finally defeated, on October Tenth, Seventeen years after the Nine' Tails attack. All the shinobi were cheering and dancing in victory. Naruto went towards his father. Minato smiled and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Great job son, you did well. I am proud of you. I bet Kushina would have too, if she were here." he said.

Naruto smiled, then Kiba came over and slapped him on the back. "You did well, Naruto! But I'm still becoming hokage." he exclaimed. "KIBA! I just recovered him, don't slap him!" Sakura yelled. Naruto laughed. "It's alright Sakura-chan ,I am an Uzumaki after all." he said proudly. Minato smiled at seeing Naruto and his friends.

Just then, Orochimaru came over and tapped Minato on his shoulder and then asked him to come over to the side, and said "We need to undo the edo-tensei jutsu, yondaime." Minato nodded, and looked back at Naruto, who was giving Sasuke a noogie. "Yondaime, it was really nice to meet you." Hashirama said. Minato bowed in respect, and then said "No, it's a privilege to meet you, shodaime-sama."

"Everyone, I'm going to undo the jutsu now." Orochimaru stated, and then slowly, their bodies began to fade. Kiba then pointed out, "Hey Naruto look over there." he said as he pointed towards the previous hokage. Naruto turned around and saw his tou-chan beginning to fade. "TOU-CHAN!" Naruto yelled. Minato turned around to see his son running towards him, but he suddenly tripped over a stone. Minato luckily caught him before he hit the ground.

"Are you leaving me now?" Naruto asked softly with tears in his eyes. Minato gave a weary smile and nodded. Naruto then hugged his father as tightly as he could, and started crying. "Tou-chan, please don't go... don't leave me.." he said. Minato also let a few tears of his own fall down, and put his arm around his son, bringing him closer. "I'm sorry Naruto, but I've got to go now.."

Naruto clinged on to his father's coat and looked up at him, "Say hi to kaa-chan for me." he said, smiling. Minato ruffled his son's hair and said "I will, my son." Everyone was looking at the father-son moment, some even crying at the scene. "Hey buddy, I want to you remember this alright?" Naruto looked up at him. "Remember that you have the will of many inside you, and that me and your mother, will always be with you in here." he said, pointing to his heart.

Naruto smiled, "Happy birthday son, remember that I will always love you." Minato said. Naruto started to cry again, and replied, "I love you too, tou-chan." Minato smiled and wiped away his son's tears, and looked up at Sakura, "He's just like his mother, a complete trouble-maker, please take care of him...Sakura" Minato said. The Pinkette, who was also in tears, nodded.

Minato looked back at his boy, "Goodbye son, it's time for me to go, I love you." he whispered, and then slowly faded into the afterlife. Naruto fell on his knees as he felt his father's arm around his back disappear, _Why did you have to go?_ he thought to himself, as he continued to cry.

* * *

***FLASHBACK END***

"I just hope tou-chan and kaa-chan know that I will always love them too..." he ended.

Sakura covered her mouth, and let tears fall at full force. Naruto turned around and was, shocked to see Sakura in tears too. "Ne, Sakura-chan please don't cry, it hurts to see you like this." he said as he wiped away her tears. Sakura stopped crying and hugged Naruto tightly and then said, "Don't worry Naruto, I will be there for you, always."

She then let go of Naruto. "Arigato Sakura-chan." he said. She smiled and entwined her fingers with his. And slowly they got closer, and their lips met...

* * *

Gomen! Gomen! Gomen! I know, that it I haven't updated in like FOREVER but then all the extra feels I added to this chapter must pay for the delay... Anyway, my computer went beserk, so I couldn't update the chapter. Hope you liked the chapter! Please rate and review!


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

* * *

Sakura woke up a bit after sunrise. She yawned and turned over and looked at Nana who was cuddled up against Naruto, with his arm covering her tiny body, protecting the little girl from any danger. Sakura smiled and went outside. They had no food or water, and Naruto was injured. So, she sighed and headed outside to get some food and water.

Sakura then spotted some bears outside the cave and gasped. They were running at full speed. She ran towards the sleeping teenager, and took Nana from his grasp. "NARUTO, GET UP!" she yelled. Naruto slowly opened his eyes."Sakura-chan... What happened?" he asked as he sat up straight, then they saw two growling bears at the mouth of the cave.

Naruto then got up and told Sakura to get to the back and protect Nana, but by that time she had already summoned a clone to take care of her. "GET OUT OF HERE!" Naruto yelled at Sakura, as he charged at one with a rasengan. "I'M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT YOU!" she yelled back as she punched one with her super-human strength. The bear ran outside out of fear. Just then the other one rammed Naruto to the wall, but he held it against his body with his arms. "NGRHHHHHHHHH" Naruto yelled as he tried to push the bear away from him.

"SHANNARO!" Sakura yelled as she punched the other bear. This one also ran away, and Naruto was free. Naruto sighed in relief "Arigato Sakura-chan" Sakura smiled but then she fainted and was about to hit the ground. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed as he went to catch her, and he did, right before she hit the ground.

Naruto lifted her bridal style and put her beside Nana, who was sitting against the cave wall. Then he looked at his hand, it was covered in BLOOD. "Shit! What the hell is this? Where is it coming from?" he asked himself. Then he turned Sakura around and saw a claw, that was stuck in her upper back. He gasped and lifted her tank top a little, just enough for him to remove the claw.

But blood was still oozing out, and he needed to stop the bleeding. Naruto was panicking at this moment. He had no idea what to do! He wasn't a medic, after all! Naruto then got up and found a little more of the green paste Sakura had prepared for him. He got it and then looked at her wound, which was underneath her clothing. This was gonna be difficult, after all Sakura was a girl and he was a guy. He blushed madly, but then Naruto just sighed and put her head on his lap. He then slowly removed her tank top, and carefully applied the same green paste on her wound, and then waited for her to gain consciousness.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, and felt a burning sensation on her back. She felt a towel tied around her tightly. She then looked to the side of the cave and saw her tank top covered in blood. She gasped, _"He took it off?" _she thought to herself and looked up at Naruto who was ruffling Nana's hair while she slept. She smiled. "Naruto..." she said softly as she tried to sit straight.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright?" Naruto said as he helped her to sit straight. Sakura clutched the towel closely to her chest and then inquired, "What happened?" Naruto sighed and then said, "Well, you saved my butt, when I was attacked by a bear and then sorta fainted dattebayo." Sakura chuckled, and then looked at the towel covering her body. "I bet you enjoyed your little_ 'peep show' _while I was knocked out huh? Didn't you, pervert?" she said as she pointed to her tank top.

Naruto's face turned into a whole new shade of red, "Oh no! I mean... I just... Sakura-chan... you were...your back... you were hur- mrmph!" Sakura interrupted him with a kiss. Naruto was shocked at first but then slowly bent her head down and kissed her back.

* * *

"Okay listen up everyone!" Kakashi yelled as he brought out the Ninja World map. Everyone ran towards him, well everyone other than Choji. Kakashi looked around at the chunin. "Where is Choji?" he asked. Shikamaru sighed and answered "He was too busy wolfing down chips, now they are all looking for a way back up." Kakashi facepalmed himself. "Anyways now listen, there are three major things we must cross before reaching the land of lightning. We have the Matsrui straight, which we will reach in about 2 hours, but takes a day to cross. Next we have the Hinitami islands, which are a group of islands scattered on the sea, which is about 3 days from the Matsrui straight. Then we have got the Yunimaoa active volchanoes, which is a week away from the Hinitami islands. Beyond that, it is just plain ocean." he explained.

Shikamaru then said, "We got the details of their ship crashing 2 days after their departure, am I right sensei?" Kakashi nodded. "Then they would have faced the storm either when they were travelling on the Matsrui straight or somewhere in between the Matsrui straight and the Hinitami islands... but closer to the straight." Shikamaru concluded.

"You are right, Shikamaru, so we will be searching mainly around this area..." Kakashi said, pointing to the map. Everyone nodded. "Sensei, is it just ocean in between the straight and the Hinitami islands?" Shino inquired. Kakashi then explained, "Nope, there are a few islands, only two or three." he said. "Thank god... they have people to help them." Hinata said.

"No one actually lives there, Hinata. Many sailors have died on the islands, the animals living there have killed them..." Everyone gasped. "Sakura and Naruto need us now. So we need to do our best to rescue them. Who's with me?" he asked as he put his hand in the middle. All the other chunin smiled and joined their hands as well.

* * *

"Papa!" Nana yelled as she pointed outside. Naruto who was applying green paste on Sakura's wound turned around towards Nana and smiled, she just looked so cute, Sakura then put her hand on the wound and started to heal it with her medical ninjutsu. After about a minute, she stopped and Naruto tied a cloth around the wound and she took her tank top that Naruto had washed and wore it.

"Sakura-chan, are you sure you are alright? You don't need to help me build a shelter -ttebayo. You are hurt on you-", suddenly Sakura grabbed his shoulder and ripped off the cloth covering his wound on his abdomen "SHUT UP! Look at this! You are hurt too! Don't think that I'm gonna let you do everything yourself Naruto!" but much to her surprise, the wound had healed... Nana clutched onto Naruto's arm, she was scared of Sakura's screaming and began to cry.

Naruto picked up the little girl and rubbed her back. "Sakura-chan, you scared Nana.."Naruto said. Nana clutched onto her _papa_ as tight as she could. Sakura just stood there dumbfounded. "How? How did it heal so, so quickly?" she asked. Naruto chuckled. "Well, I am Kurama's jinchuriki! Usually that's what speeds up the healing." he said.

Sakura looked at him and then ruffled Nana's hair. "I'm sorry Nana, I shouldn't have yelled at Papa." Nana smiled and reached out her arms towards Sakura. "Mama!" she yelled. Sakura then took her into her arms. Nana then hugged her _mama. _Sakura smiled and held the child close to her chest. Naruto smiled at the scene and caught his partner's hand.

Sakura looked up at him with a questioning look. Naruto then said, "Let's go, we gotta start building the shelter now. One of my clones has found a good place. Come on!" Sakura nodded, and the small family went outside, hand in hand.

* * *

Sakura was near the bank of the river, putting Nana on a big stone, giving her a body wash. It was 3 days since they reached the island. Naruto collected water in a jug, made out of the husk of a dried fruit. He then saw fish jumping out of the water. He gave a big grin and looked at Sakura. "Sakura-chan! Tonight we are eating fish! I hope you and Nana like seafood!" he yelled as he jumped into the river to catch fish.

The impact of his jump made Sakura and Nana get drenched. She just grit her teeth and dried Nana and put her on the grass and put the towel over her own head to dry her hair. "Mama!" Nana yelled. Sakura removed the towel and gasped. Nana stood up on her own on the grass, and was walking! Sakura clapped, "Great job Nana!" she said. Nana then started walking near the river. Sakura then stood up, "Oh no, Nana its dangerous." and then walked towards her. Nana lost balance and fell into the river. "NANA!" Sakura yelled as she ran towards the river.

Three seconds later she saw Naruto holding a coughing Nana in his arms. He got out of the river and gave her to Sakura. "She had quite an adventure didn't she, Sakura-chan?" Sakura patted Nana's head."She walked towards the river and lost balance and fell. I guess she was wondering where you went." Sakura explained.

Naruto then rubbed Nana's back. "So, she learnt how to walk? That's great!" he said. Sakura nodded, "Naruto we should continue building our shelter... I'll go and you catch some fish, alright? I don't think it is safe for Nana here... and the water flow is pretty fast." Naruto nodded and she headed out.

* * *

It was a nice evening in the Land Of Lightning. Everyone was busy though, still trying to recover from the war. In a small room in the hospital, a Brunette laid in bed. Next to her, was a man in his late twenties, with his right arm in a cast, and his body covered in bandages was waiting for her to awake. His blonde hair wavering softly in the breeze.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, a dark green emerald colour. And she put her hand on the man's hand. The man looked up at her "Sayu?..." he said softly. The brunette, smiled at the man. "Arashi... what are you doing here? You need your rest too.." Arashi smiled and kissed her forehead. "I just wanted to check up on you." Sayu smiled and asked "So, is Nana here yet? Is our baby here?".Arashi shook his head.

"She will be here soon, my love. Our little bundle of joy..." Arashi said softly... Sayu smiled at him. "Those wretched kidnappers, taking our baby away from us when we were at war..." he said. "Chie- san did the best she could to protect Nana when we were away at war... But the kidnappers beat her up badly.. and she was helpless... but let us forget about that dear.. I hear she is doing well now. And, soon, Nana will be here with us and things will be normal." Sayu said.

"You are right Sayu... but promise me something... let's convince Nana somehow, to not become a ninja... I don't ever want her to suffer they way we do..." Arashi said. Sayu smiled and nodded her head.

Just then a young woman knocked at the door. "Arashi-kun, Sayu-san? I have some news for you." And then she entered the hospital room. "Misa-chan, what is it?" asked Arashi. "It's about Nana, Konoha shinobi were supposed to bring her... but then..their ship...crashed." Sayu and Arashi gasped. Sayu held onto her husband's hand tighter, and let a few tears fall.

"What? What are you saying, Misa?" Sayu said. Misa then answered slowly, "Their ship crashed, there was a chunin and a genin with her. One was Sakura Haruno and other was Naruto Uzumaki. Konoha has put up a search party for them." Arashi then remembered... Naruto was the hero of the Fourth Great Ninja War... he was well known across all the five great nations.

"Thank You Misa-chan for informing us." Arashi said. Misa then bowed respectfully and left the couple to be. Sayu then let tears fall at full force. Arashi let a few of his own fall as well. He hugged his wife with his left arm. "Sayu, I am sure they are alright, Sakura and Naruto were great heroes in the war... I am sure she is safe..." he said assuringly.

Sayu grabbed her husband's coat. "How can you be so sure? Arashi?" she said as she sobbed into his coat. He took out a small picture, and in it, was himself, his wife and a little blonde-haired, green-eyed baby in the middle. He rubbed her head. "I just know it, Sayu."

* * *

**NOTE FROM AUTHOR:** DUNDUN DUUUUNNN! So I finally revealed Nana's parents... so the story is gonna get interesting from here on... Anyways, I will be updating regularly, and will be posting every Wenesday! Thats my target. Hope you liked this chapter! Rate and Review please!


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